TRENDING: CNN 2012 Poll: Obama and Palin going in different directions?  —  Washington (CNN) - As the start of the next presidential campaign nears, a new national poll suggests that President Barack Obama's tax-cut compromise with congressional Republicans did not hurt his standing among Democrats …

Biggest conservative names bidding goodbye to CPAC  —  Participation of homosexuals, financial mismanagement cited  —  Two of the nation's premier moral issues organizations, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, are refusing to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference …

Latest Right-Wing Freak-Out: Obama Wants To Give Manhattan Back To Native Americans  —  The good news is that the right-wing isn't talking about President Obama being a secret Muslim right now.  The bad news is that they're now concerned that he's going to use his honorary status …

N.J. Gov. Christie, vacationing during snowstorm, pushes back on criticism  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's office is pushing back against complaints that both he and the lieutenant governor were vacationing during a blizzard that blanketed the state with snow.

Wall Street Execs Whine To Politico About Their Hurt Feelings  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … This morning's Politico features another piece ("Obama and Wall St.: Still Venus and Mars") in a continuing series that present Wall Street people whining about all those times White House higher-ups …

How WikiLeaks Just Set Back Democracy in Zimbabwe  —  Last year, early on Christmas Eve morning, representatives from the U.S., United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the European Union arrived for a meeting with Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.  Appointed prime minister earlier …

As gay becomes bourgeois  —  With 'don't ask, don't tell' repealed and gays seeking marriage equality, the homosexual bourgeoisie is emerging — a concept subversive to both liberals and conservatives.  —  So now openly gay soldiers get to fight and die in neocon-imperialist wars too?

Obama: No shirtless pictures  —  The White House is taking extra steps to prevent photos of a shirtless President Obama on vacation in Hawaii.  —  The president and his family are on a snorkeling trip in Hamauma Bay Nature Reserve, and traveling press are under “explicit instructions …

Quest for Palin e-mails may exceed her time in office  —  You can do the math.  —  Alaska state regulations require public officials to make public records available to the public within 10 days in most cases.  —  On Monday evening, Sarah Palin's former staff in the Alaska governor's …

DADT DEAD-ENDERS LATCH ONTO ‘SHOWER ISSUE’.... With Congress already having passed a repeal of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, and President Obama gladly putting his signature on the repeal legislation, I'm not sure what more conservatives hope to accomplish.  —  There was a political fight, and they lost.

New GOP House Rules Pave The Way For More Tax Cuts, Deficits  —  In 2007, just weeks after Republicans lost control of the House and Senate and six years after the first passel of Bush tax cuts were signed into law, Democrats made a key change to the budget rules to prevent that episode from repeating itself.

Help the 99ers  —  (Ed. note: We invited Nicole Sandler to blog here to announce her new site, designed to help 99ers find support and work.)  —  Last week, while guest hosting The Randi Rhodes Show and discussing the unexpected but wonderful progress made in the lame duck session of Congress …

The merger of journalists and government officials  —  (updated below)  —  The video of the CNN debate I did last night about WikiLeaks with former Bush Homeland Security Adviser (and CNN contributor) Fran Townsend and CNN anchor Jessica Yellin is posted below.

A PUBLISHING MYSTERY.... I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong.  Last year, for example, I predicted that George W. Bush's post-presidency memoir would be a flop.  Just the opposite is true — “Decision Points” has sat atop the Times Best Sellers list for the last six weeks, and yesterday …

Just 21% Want FCC to Regulate Internet, Most Fear Regulation Would Promote Political Agenda  —  American voters believe free market competition will protect Internet users more than government regulation and fear that regulation will be used to push a political agenda.

Judge tosses Miller lawsuit, clears way for Murkowski swearing-in  —  A federal judge today dismissed Republican Joe Miller's federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the Nov. 2 election, clearing the way for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski to be certified as the winner.

GOP Senator-Elect Calls For Filibuster Reform On Judicial Nominees  —  In 2005, when President Bush was nominating judges, GOP senators almost universally denounced filibusters of judicial nominees as unconstitutional.  Four years later, when a Democratic president moved into the White House …

Indiana Grandmother, a Muslim Convert, Being Investigated for Possible Terror Link  —  Kathie Smith brandishes a gun in video starring her and her husband, Salahudin Ibn Jafar, that is being investigated by terrorism task force.  —  A 46-year-old Indiana grandmother is under investigation …

How Congress Can Stop the EPA's Power Grab  —  Courts have yet to decide if the agency's proposed controls on carbon emissions are even legal.  —  On Jan. 2, the Environmental Protection Agency will officially begin regulating the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Bill Clinton, to stump for Rahm Emanuel, warned by Danny Davis: Stay out of Chicago mayor race  —  Chicago mayoral hopeful Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) shot a warning on Tuesday morning to former President Bill Clinton, coming to Chicago to stump for rival Rahm Emanuel: Stay out.

Health plans for high-risk patients attracting fewer, costing more than expected  —  An early feature of the new health-care law that allows people who are already sick to get insurance to cover their medical costs isn't attracting as many customers as expected.

Dial-a-fatwa that bans naps, raffles and tattoos: Muslim scholars issue 350,000 decrees in 2010  —  Taking an afternoon nap, the monotonous drone of vuvuzelas that irritated almost all football fans during the World Cup is OK, and it doesn't matter how much noise a donkey makes, it musn't be touched.

A Step Toward Fairness  —  This country continues to pay a high price in both security and reputation for the Bush administration's many violations of international law at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.  After more than a year of review, the Obama administration is preparing an executive order intended …